A Flickering Light Book 8: The Seven and Thirteen (KH III)
by WolfWingsRandomWritings
Summary: The climax of the series!
1. Chapter 1: Return to Darkness

The Dark World didn't change much, Ignus decided as he scanned the gray stone around him. Veins of indigo crystals glowed dimly, giving just enough light to cast shadows across their path. Ignus paused as Riku stopped walking.

"Something the matter?"

Riku shook his head.

"You need a break? We've been walking for…actually I don't know how long. We can stop."

"No, just…I've been here. I should know this place. But that all seems like another life." Riku stared off into space.

"I'm not surprised." Ignus walked back over. "With all the time that's passed, everything you've done since the last time you were here?" He laid a hand on Riku's shoulder. "You grew up fast. Maybe too fast."

"I remember my first time here. I was so scared." Riku let out a small smile. "But now my doubts and fears are gone. If anything, I feel exhilarated. And it's not because of the darkness in me, I know too well what that rush is like. This is different. And it's not adrenaline either. I know Aqua needs us…but I'm ready. I'm in control now. Maybe it's because you're with me this time."

Ignus shook his head. "It's not me, Riku. You're the one that's changed. You got stronger, you got control of yourself. You managed to save your friends and right your wrongs. You conquered the darkness, both inside and outside you. You found a way to let your love spark your strength."

"What?"

Ignus continued walking as Riku followed. "Sometimes…you can get stuck on a person. Focus on them so much that all you can feel is what you feel for them. Nothing else matters. Nothing else is even there. You have people for that now, Riku, people you love who drive you past your limits, leaving you no room to doubt yourself. It gives you the strength to protect what matters."

"Is that it?" Riku mused. "'Strength to protect what matters.' It reminds me of a promise I made."

"Promise? Who to?"

"Just someone I once met. Can't tell."

Ignus snorted. "Sounds like a good memory."

"Yeah. While we're reminiscing, does any of this look familiar?"

"Well, sort of. But the realm of darkness was never very big for variety. It's a little hard to identify any landmarks. It might have changed too, since I was last here with…with Aqua."

"Yeah, it's different from what I remember." Riku agreed.

"Might also just be that you're a foot taller." Ignus bumped Riku with his shoulder. "I can still feel Aqua's heart, faintly. We're moving towards it. But as we get closer, it doesn't feel clearer, I feel…it's like static. Some noise or interference in the feeling of her heart."

"You mean-"

"No. Not her. She's too strong for that. It's probably just a result of being down here." Ignus shifted his shoulder, releasing the tension he'd started to recognize as anxiousness. "Either way, we're getting close. Let's keep moving."

Riku and Ignus kept walking until they reached the end of the cavern. It opened up to a beach, with a clouded light casting shadows of the arches of jagged rock sticking out of the water like grasping fingers.

"This beach…" Riku muttered.

"It's gone."

"What?"

Ignus knelt and pressed his hand to the sand. "I'm positive she was here. Her trail leads right up to here, but then it stops. It's not the interference either, the feeling just ends." He gently closed his eyes.

Riku looked around. "I've been here too. With Sora. This is where we found our way back to the realm of light. Hey, maybe Aqua did, too!"

Ignus shook his head slowly, standing and brushing the sand from his hand. "If she were in the realm of light, she would have come to find us, or we would have found her at this point. She's got to be somewhere deeper in the darkness. Maybe that's what that interference was. I'm not even sure we could dive that deep-"

Whatever Ignus was saying was abruptly interrupted by a small pack of Heartless growing out of the sand in front of them. Riku turned to see more on the other side. The pair were surrounded in an instant. Riku and Ignus stood back-to-back as Ignus finished the Oath of Spark.

"Riku, be careful. We're on their home turf and they're more powerful here. They can do stuff you wouldn't believe."

"What do you mean?"

The Heartless all ran past them, not touching either of the keyblade wielders. The dark creatures dove into a clawing puddle, then exploded up into a spiraling tower.

"Stuff like that." Ignus grumbled. "Be careful using your darkness techniques. They'll be strong, but they'll also be way harder to control. You'd be giving the darkness around you an easy path in."

"Meaning no Inferno?"

"Exactly." Ignus smirked at Riku. "Stay on your toes. Come on, let's go!"

**(Fight Scene Song: Resist and Bite)**

The demon tower burst as Riku blasted it with another lightning spell, Heartless falling all over the place and fading. Riku had barely managed to breathe before more began to rise out of the sand. He heard a sound and turned just as the new tower engulfed him.

"Riku!" Ignus shouted, turning. He gathered his power as the tower swung for him next. He met it with a charge, Spark extended, and a cry bursting from the bottom of his lungs.

"Firaga!"

A trio of fireballs leapt from Spark and the tower exploded, dropping Riku to the ground. Ignus stood over him until the last Heartless faded, then turned him over and felt his pulse. "Cura!" Spark gave off a green glow that moved to Riku before Ignus let the keyblade vanish. Riku awoke after a moment. Ignus offered him a hand.

"You alright?"

Riku took it and sat up. "I think so. Where'd the Heartless go?"

"I burst the tower with one of my attacks, and they spit you out. The rest just sort of vanished. I don't know if they're really gone, but we probably bought ourselves some time."

"Thanks, I owe ya." Riku got to his feet.

"We'll add it to your tab. You're still not invincible, Riku. As much as you may feel like it."

"Are _you _all right?"

"Just a little drained. But I think we have another problem…" Ignus passed Riku his keyblade.

Riku inspected the weapon. The grip was familiar and the eye stared blankly as always, but it definitely seemed lighter. Looking up, he realized it was missing the top third of the blade.

"They're stronger than we expected. We should head back to Yen Sid's and regroup. It's not safe down here, especially if you don't have a keyblade."

Riku looked down at his broken weapon. "But Aqua's…still down here, alone. Facing enemies like that. What if she's feeling as scared and alone…as I felt the first time I came here?"

"Trust me, Riku," Ignus seemed to deflate, "I don't need you to remind me of that."

"How long are we supposed to keep her waiting in this awful place?"

"Not a second more than we need to. But she'd never forgive us if you lost your life trying to save hers. And besides, we may not even be able to without you. She's strong. She'll hold out."

Riku walked forward and stuck his weapon into the surf. "Can't use this keyblade anymore. Might as well leave it here. For the other me."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate it." Ignus smiled. "And I think he'd be proud of you for moving forward."

Notes:

Resist and Bite: watch?v=iGtEH1i78sI


	2. Chapter 2: The Search for Aqua

"Do I hear the sound of Sora being mocked?" Ignus chuckled as he opened the door to Yen Sid's study. "Well, gang's all here."

"We were here before, but you didn't wait." Sora protested as Goofy and Donald shoved past him to Ignus.

"Goofy. Donald. What's been happening?"

Goofy and Donald outlined Sora's latest adventure to Olympus, seeking the help of Hercules. Donald referred to it as a disappointment, and Ignus sighed.

"Wish we could say we did better. The realm of darkness is still very hostile, Riku's down a keyblade, and…well we have a lead on her. I just hope we're wrong."

Donald and Goofy both lowered their heads.

"We know Master Aqua made it as far as the beach that Sora and I once visited." Riku explained. "But that's where her trail ends."

"Meaning…?" Sora asked hesitantly.

"All traces of her heart lead from there into the great abyss under the realm of darkness." Ignus sighed.

"She's gone?" Donald whined.

"No." Riku said quickly. "Sora was dragged into the abyss during his exam, and I went in after him. So, I think if we find someone who was really close to Aqua, and they make the dive, they could reach her down there."

Ignus shook his head. "I'm the only one of you who really knew Aqua, and I don't know if I would say we were close. Ventus is still hidden, and we can't reach him without her. Nobody's seen Terra in years, with the last person who did being her."

"So Aqua, she's gonna be the key to finding all three." Riku said.

"Yes." Yen Sid's words drew everyone to face him. "Their teacher, Master Eraqus, would have been another possibility…"

"If he hadn't been killed by Xehanort." Ignus finished.

The silence hung heavily after the name. Sora turned around slowly.

"I'll save her!" He declared.

"You can't!" Donald quacked.

"But Sora, that's gonna be super hard since you don't have the power of waking." Goofy insisted.

"Huh?" Sora seemed to jolt like waking from a trance. "Sorry…I have no idea why that just popped out. Hmm?"

Sora looked at Ignus, whose face was frozen in shock, staring back.

"Just for a second there…I thought I felt…"

"Ignus?"

Ignus shook his head and regained his composure. "Sorry. Been fighting a lot. Guess I'm a bit worn out, my brain's playing tricks on me."

"Sora, you must focus on regaining your lost power of waking." Yen Sid said. "Ignus and Riku, I recall that Master Aqua journeyed to many worlds, and connected with others who could be the link we need."

"Well, it's a better plan than I had." Ignus shrugged. "Riku and I can retrace her steps. Maybe we can find something. At the very least I can re-familiarize myself with the feeling of her heart, which might make it easier to pinpoint her. But first things first, Riku's going to need a new keyblade, and I'm going to need some time to repair Spark. We got hit pretty hard in the realm of darkness."

"In that case, rendezvous with Kairi and Lea. They are continuing their training under the tutelage of the wizard Merlin. Also, I would like you to deliver these for me." Two trunks appeared on the desk at a wave of his hand. "They are the same as the ones I gave you. Special vestments to shield Kairi and Lea from the darkness."

"Got it." Ignus and Riku each took a trunk.

"No fair!" Sora whined. "What about my outfit, Master?"

"Sora, don't bug him like that. It's inconsiderate." Donald scolded.

"Settle down." Yen Sid said. "I have new clothes for you, too, Sora. A gift from the good fairies." He gestured and another chest appeared.

Sora practically jumped for joy. "I knew you'd come through for me. Thanks!"

"Those are no ordinary garments, Sora. Like before, they have very special powers, so it took extra time to prepare them." Yen Sid explained. "In addition, there is a gift from Chip and Dale inside."

"Cool. Okay!"

"Happy now?" Riku snorted.

"Yup!" Sora said cheerfully.

"I have never seen anybody get that excited about outerwear." Ignus muttered. He turned to the desk. "Master Yen Sid, we'll be on our way now. Take care."


	3. Chapter 3: Forgotten

Lea stood up stiffly. "I'm…gonna go. Sorry."

"'Kay, but stop apologizing." Kairi insisted.

"Fine…on one condition. Call me Axel from now on. Got it memorized?"

"Yeah." Kairi smiled. "Okay, Axel."

"Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while."

Both of them turned to Ignus's voice as he and Riku approached.

"Riku!" Kairi called, running past the older men to her friend. Ignus chuckled, then paused next to Lea, exchanging a fist bump.

"So you're back to Axel now?"

"Just for her."

"Interesting. Alright, you do you, Lea." Ignus shrugged.

"What are you doing here?"

"Fashion delivery for you two and keyblade repairs. Mine needs work and Riku's is straight up broken. Merlin's got the resources to make him a new one. How about you, how's your training going? Anything you need help with?"

A cocky grin settled on Lea's face. "Help? Come on, remember who you're talking to! I'm gonna be a master in no time!" His expression changed and his voice dropped. "Actually, could we…?" Lea gestured Ignus to walk with him.

"Yeah, sure. What's the matter?" Ignus asked, following. Lea didn't start talking until they were a ways away from where Kairi was chattering to Riku.

"I've been feeling weird lately." Lea explained. "Like…you ever feel like you're forgetting something? Like you know you are, but you can't even remember what you're forgetting?"

Ignus nodded.

"Well, I've been getting that a lot around Kairi recently. Like I'm forgetting something when I look at her. Or more…like I'm looking at her and seeing someone else. Does that make any sense? And then I just end up crying."

"Huh…" Ignus said. "I don't know. Memories were never my thing. Naminé was always the one who was good with those. Maybe that's it? Her heart inside of Kairi's messing with you a bit?"

"I guess. But nobody else seems to be feeling it."

"You have been around her a lot recently. And you're under the effects of the time distortion of this place. And you just got your memories back from being recompleted not so long ago. Could be a few things." Ignus shrugged. "Tell you what. Keep an eye on it for now, okay? I'll try to talk to Ienzo about it next chance I get. Maybe he'll have something for you."

"Okay. Thanks, Ignus."

"I'm here for you man. Don't worry about it."


	4. Chapter 4: For Those of You Just Joining

Dilan led Ignus and Riku across the courtyard of Radiant Garden. He gestured to the middle of the plaza. Ignus stepped forward and knelt to lay his hand on the stones.

"This is where you found the armor?" He asked over his shoulder. Dilan nodded and Ignus turned to Riku. "If this was her last stop, then we can fill in the rest of the story from here."

"So this is the place where Aqua fell into the realm of darkness after she dove in to save Terra." Riku reviewed.

Ignus nodded. "She told me she needed to find him when she left. Never really explained herself. Then after she left I could feel her fighting, and then I lost her feeling. Guess that must have been when she fell. She found him here, and they fought. She'd said that he was acting weird. Then they both fell into darkness."

"Either way, both of them disappeared. Around the same time, the guards found a stranger with white hair lying unconscious here in the square, calling himself 'Xehanort.'"

"If only we knew. Could have saved us so much trouble." Ignus sighed. "Ansem the Wise takes Xehanort in, Xehanort betrays him and steals his research, then splits his own heart from his body. His heart became the one we called Ansem, went to the past to get his younger self in on the plan, and took over you at some point. You know the story from there. His body became Xemnas and founded Organization XIII to start prepping vessels for Xehanort's heart."

"Until we put an end to the Organization. But all the while, Young Xehanort had been visiting the future to choose thirteen vessels of his own. Hearts with strong enough ties to him to begin a new Organization, the real Organization XIII. And now they're looking for a fight with us." Riku paused momentarily. "Then what happened to Terra? Didn't Aqua tell you she saved him?"

"She got him out of the realm of darkness. But I never felt his heart since then. But remember at the end of your exam, with Xehanort's whole 'grand return' thing? That one, Master Xehanort, he's the one I remember, and even then, he was pretty old. But his Heartless and his Nobody, Ansem and Xemnas, they look so much younger. So he couldn't have been using his main body when the split happened. And the portrait in the study that I pointed out before, that's the body of whoever Xehanort possessed."

"No way!" Riku exclaimed. "That was Terra? Master Xehanort was using Terra?"

"Well, Xehanort told us that he had one more of the guardians of light on his side, besides Sora. He must have been talking about Terra. Aqua…she saved him from darkness, but couldn't have known to get Xehanort out of him."

"Okay, but Master Xehanort is an old man again now. Where did Terra's body go?"

"It's probably one of Xehanort's vessels. We didn't see all of their faces back then, but at this point, I'd be willing to bet he was one of them. It would also explain why I've never felt his heart, despite her sending him back to the realm of light."

"He's with Organization XIII? We should warn Sora."

"Pass me the phone and we can give them a call."


	5. Chapter 5: Replicas

Sora's face popped up on the screen. Ignus smiled. "Good to see you, Sora."

"Wha…? Wrong number?" Sora asked.

"No, Sora, I called you. Riku and I are in Radiant Garden, we wanted to touch base."

Riku poked Ignus and Ignus tilted the phone so he could be seen. "Sora, is something wrong?"

"I wanted to pick your brain. In order for us to recomplete Roxas, he needs a body, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. We can't just stick his heart into a rock." Ignus agreed. "But we don't have a body available…and he can't come back without it…"

Riku pondered it before starting. "Replicas."

"Hmm?" Ignus turned to him.

"Well, replicas are basically human."

"Uh, what?" Sora said.

"Oh, yeah…You wouldn't remember. The previous Organization XIII developed replicas: realistic vessels to place hearts in. They're so real, in fact, that you'd actually mistake them for people. And with hearts, the replicas will _become_ people."

Ignus mouthed the words "Castle Oblivion" to Riku, who nodded.

"Cool," Sora said, "but if we get our hands on a replica, will Roxas look like himself when he's recompleted?"

"Yup. The replica takes the form of the heart inside it."

"That's perfect!"

"We can talk to Ienzo." Ignus suggested. "He was doing research in the Organization back then, he might know more."

"Great, thanks! Wait…do you guys think _they're_ after replicas too?" Sora turned from the phone.

"Nope, they definitely said 'a black box.'" Goofy remembered.

"Who did?"

"The Organization and Maleficent." Sora replied. He stopped, then lowered his eyes shamefully.

"I guess we forgot to mention it." Donald said, pushing his face into the frame.

"It's fine, guys. But while we have you here, we need to bring you up to speed on one of their members…"

Ignus and Riku recounted the whole story of how Terra-Xehanort came to be. Then they explained it again, after which Sora finally got it.

"So let us work on Roxas and Naminé. You keep going. And keep an eye out for Terra."

"Yes sir!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed, climbing over Sora.

"Stop that!" Sora protested before the screen went dark.

Ignus chuckled. "He grew up a little. But they really don't change, do they?"

"Nope, that's their best quality." Riku said.

"Well, let's go circle back to Ansem the Wise's lab and talk to Ienzo. See what he thinks of this whole replica idea of yours."


	6. Chapter 6: Dead Ends

"What do you mean we're too late?" Ignus demanded.

"Even would know all about the replicas from his time as Vexen in the Organization." Ienzo explained. "He was recompleted like the rest of us, but he didn't regain consciousness. After Lea left, he must have woken and taken his leave. Aeleus here and Dilan went out and turned the whole town upside down to try and find him. But no Even."

Aeleus shook his head. Ignus cursed.

"What about his research?" Riku asked.

"Unfortunately, his work on the replicas was incomplete. There may still be documents around, but all of them from well before he made any significant progress."

"Then we need to find him." Ignus said. "Any idea where he would go from here?"

"There's no place that he could go now that he's human. He has no means of leaving this world."

"Right, none of you can access the dark corridors anymore."

"But not everyone is like that. What if Even was taken?" Riku suggested.

Ignus pointed to Riku. "That's a good point. The Organization needs a new vessel, and they could always use more people to tip the scales of the final battle. The replicas would be perfect. We should pass word around. Want to go handle that?" He passed Riku the phone.

Riku and Aeleus stepped outside as Ignus caught Ienzo.

"By the way, I wanted to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"It's about Lea. He said he was having some issues with feeling like he was forgetting something."

"Did he say what?"

"He wasn't sure. He said he couldn't remember what it was, just that he would end up crying. He thought it was connected to Kairi."

"Interesting…"

"Anything like that happening to any of you?"

"Not that I've felt. And not that any of the others have told me about. I suppose it's possible that some sort of issue with his memory could have arisen as a result of his being recompleted. But I wouldn't want to make any conclusive statements without more data."

"Right." Ignus sighed. "Well, stay focused on that replica issue right now. And if you get a chance, maybe start to look into some of the Organization's research on memories. You still have the Castle Oblivion archives, right?"

"Yes we do."

"Then maybe give that a look if you have time. Let me or Lea know whatever you turn up."

"Of course."

Ignus smiled and slapped Ienzo's arm. "Thanks, Ienzo. You're the man." He jogged out after Riku.


	7. Chapter 7: Progress

Ignus and Riku turned as the door opened to admit Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"Sorry we're late." Sora called.

"It's fine. Thanks for getting here so quick. So, give us the rundown." Ignus said.

"The Organization claims to _have_ their thirteen darknesses." Sora explained.

"You just taking their word for that?"

"Umm…I don't know, but there's something else they keep mentioning. They're after a 'New Seven Hearts,' which seems to be code for 'let's go bother more princesses.'"

"Well, as the original princesses of hearts' time for protecting the pure light has ended, they have passed the light to others." Yen Sid explained. "Our enemy must certainly be cognizant of this. If the 'New Seven Hearts' is what they wish to call them, so be it."

"But Kairi hasn't passed on her power." Sora replied. "Is she one of the new seven?"

"Well, yeah." Ignus said. "But she also chose to stand with us, wield a keyblade, and fight as one of the guardians of light. We don't need to worry about protecting her. She'll be protecting herself."

"We still haven't found Terra yet." Donald said.

"Hey, at least we've tracked down Ventus. Vanitas told us that he's inside Sora's heart." Goofy replied.

"And so did Ansem the Wise in his data, so it almost certainly must be true." Jiminy added.

"We still need Aqua to get to him. I can lead us to the door, but she's the only one who can open it." Ignus reminded everyone.

"I'll go." Sora announced suddenly.

"What?" Donald and Goofy cried.

"There it is again…" Ignus muttered, a ghost of a smile playing across his lips. "Is that you, Ven…?"

"You need the power of waking, Sora. Do you have it?" Yen Sid said.

"Uh…no? Probably not." Sora admitted.

"Without that power, you are not ready to face the realm of darkness."

"C'mon!" Sora protested as Riku started laughing. "What's so funny?" He demanded.

"Sorry." Riku chuckled. "Master Yen Sid knows you a little too well. He said you'd try to stage a half-baked rescue."

Giggles spread around the room. "Yeah! Laugh it up!" Sora yelled.

"Sora," Riku said. "I know you're volunteering because you're worried about me and Ignus."

"Yeah…"

"Well, thanks. But, the power of waking's important. You can come to the rescue once you've got that. Sound fair?"

"Yeah. All right." Sora pouted. "But be safe. No reckless stunts."

"Yes sir." Riku replied.

"Hold up. Did Sora just give _us_ a speech about being reckless?" Ignus stifled a laugh.

"Very good." Yen Sid declared. "Sora will continue his journey to build his powers, while Ignus and Riku will focus on the search for Aqua."

"Yes sir!" The group replied.

Notes:

Okay, so I don't think they ever really confirmed if the outbursts from Sora insisting on finding Aqua were Ventus taking over. But I went with it. For those of you confused, that's why Ignus reacted the way he did the first time. He sensed Ven's heart for a second.  
I know these past two chapters have been a little stale. All I can say for that is...well, strap in. Shit goes down in the next one.


	8. Chapter 8: Love in Darkness

"Left side, go high!"

Riku nodded and both of them sprang into the air, slashing through the demon tower. Riku landed and dodged a few swipes of the tower before diving out of the way as it drove into the sand. The shadow vanished, and Riku took his stance.

"Riku, watch your back!"

Riku turned at Ignus's call, seeing the wave of Heartless a second before it slammed into him, launching him across the beach.

"Riku!" Ignus started forward until another tower burst out of the ground, carrying him into the air. Spark flew out and stuck in the sand.

"Ignus!"

Riku watched as the tower left the ground, becoming a pulsating sphere of darkness. A shadow burst out of it, landing solidly on the beach, clouds of dark smoke rising off of it as it stood. A bright light flared in the sphere and a full quarter burst open in a fiery explosion, revealing Ignus. He pulled against the mass of shadow holding him and looked out at the shadow.

"You…you're not just another Heartless…"

The shadow walked forward and picked up Spark. "This keyblade…"

"No…no it couldn't be…"

"Ignus." The shadowy mists evaporated as the figure turned around. "You're too late."

"Aqua?" Riku whispered.

Aqua's hair had gone white and her eyes glowed golden. There was a venom in her tone that Ignus had never heard her use. A violet color seemed to be seeping up her arms like a spreading sickness.

"Aqua…what happened to you?" Ignus said.

"You abandoned me, that's what. Left me in this shadow prison for more than a decade, knowing what it would do to me…"

"No, no, no, no…" Ignus shook his head. "It's my fault. I'm so sorry Aqua, it's all my fault."

"I reached this shore after endless wandering. Waited forever for help to arrive. But no one ever came." Aqua walked out across the surface of the water. "I lost my keyblade. Had no means of fighting my way back through the Heartless. You should have known I was stranded. Do you have any idea how lonely it is here? How frightening it is to have no one? All that's left in my heart is misery and despair…and now, you can share it."

"You're right Aqua." Ignus said softly. Tears rolled down his cheeks. "I left you here. I abandoned you. I let your heart be ravaged. But now, you're not alone in the darkness anymore. Look in your hand, Aqua. That's my Spark. My light. My love. If you can't find it in your heart, then take it from mine!"

Riku summoned his keyblade and waked forward towards Aqua. He stepped out onto the water and stood opposite the fallen master. The orb Ignus was trapped in began to compress, then burst into another tower of Heartless.

**(Fight Scene Song: Rise)**

Riku slid backwards, the demon tower still spiraling in front of him. He panted wearily.

"Sora…" He whispered.

Suddenly a bright light shone above him. He looked up as a transparent Sora crashed into the surface of the water.

"I made it!" Sora's image exclaimed brightly. Both boys nodded to each other, faced the tower of Heartless, and extended their arms. They floated into the air and swung their arms together, directing a powerful wave of light into the Heartless. The tower burst and Ignus flew onto the beach. Riku ran towards him, until a sound made him check behind him. Aqua was flying across the surface of the water, Spark pulled back to strike. She swung the keyblade as Riku summoned his, not fast enough. A massive shockwave blew the water back on all sides. When it faded, Ignus was in front of Riku, both hands shakily reinforcing his block with Inferno.

"You may have fallen to darkness, Aqua. But this isn't you. You wouldn't let this be you. So I can't allow it either." Ignus grunted with effort, dropping to one knee. "Maybe my light's not enough to reach you. I can't give you the light that you need. But I can take some of your darkness. That's what people do for each other, Aqua. They share the happiness…and they accept the pain."

Aqua grunted and swung harder, knocking Ignus away. Sora's image jumped in front of Riku and flashed brightly, knocking her back.

"How, Sora?" Riku wondered aloud.

The image smiled and his keyblade vanished to be replaced by another. "I had a little help. You got this. I'll help you open the portal to get you all out." Sora faded and Riku ran back to Ignus, who was on his knees, Inferno in his hand. Dark smoke was pouring from the hand that held the keyblade and creeping up his forearm.

"Ignus…"

"So much…there's so much…" Ignus panted.

"What's happening?"

"I'm using Inferno…to take some of her darkness…" Ignus indicated his arm. "It's difficult to control…I never imagined…she could be this bad."

"You have to stop, you can't take this." Riku insisted.

"For her, for Aqua, I can. I could take all the darkness in the world if it brought her back to the light." Ignus looked up. "If you push her enough, she'll draw power from my keyblade. It won't feed her darkness, that's not what Spark is for. It should be enough to bring her back."

"Do you think she can come back?"

"Always." Ignus nodded. "Go Riku. Show her who she used to be."

Riku strode forward across the water. He raised Braveheart. Aqua raised Spark. As he closed with her they both broke into a run.

**(Fight Scene Song: Warriors)**

Notes:

Rise: watch?v=fB8TyLTD7EE&t=2s  
Warriors: watch?v=1uBPOu3si5w

HOOOOOO BOY am I proud of this chapter. I did a lot of mucking with things here, for a couple reasons. First, I wanted to really embrace the ship. As some of you may remember, I actually realized around the time when I wrote Book 5 that I'd laid the groundwork for AquaxIgnus in Book 2. And I went for it. This scene got a lot of that, along with me messing around to give Riku a few more powerful moments.  
On a side note, if I have the time, Saturday may include a bonus. As I've stated, I don't write the fight scenes because I have them intricately choreographed in my head, and I can't really reproduce that so effectively in my writing in terms of detail, flow, speed, emotion, etc. Someday I'll learn how to animate. In the mean time, Warriors is hands down the fight scene I'm most proud of in this series, so I may take a shot at describing the scene I have in mind to you guys. This is not a definite, since it's dependent on me having time to do it before Saturday, and it working well enough that I'm comfortable uploading it. We'll just have to see.


	9. Bonus: Warriors

A Flickering Light Bonus: Warriors

Song: watch?v=1uBPOu3si5w

Book 8 Chapter 8

Evening all, WolfWing here. I know that this is a bit unusual, and not on a typical upload day, but I'd really like your guys' feedback on this. I know my own scene too well, so the test of if this worked is if you guys can see the scene too. Please leave reviews or comments or whatever, but that's my only way of gauging if this worked.

Thanks in advance.

-WolfWing

Guide:

Directions

-My comments

_Song lyrics_

-Alright, let's do this. I have very little confidence in this going well, but if it doesn't, well, then no one will see this anyway. My vision for this scene had it as a culmination of their journeys to this point. But I'm getting ahead of myself, so let's establish ground of the scene first.

Setting: The beach in the Realm of Darkness. Fight will be occurring with characters on the surface of the water.

Characters: Riku, Aqua (variants)

-Basically, by variants, I mean that I wanted this fight to involve their younger selves as follows:

Riku 1: Riku as a kid in Destiny Islands, fights with a wooden sword

Riku 2: End of Kingdom Hearts/Chain of Memories replica Riku. Dark outfit, fights with Soul Eater

Riku 3: Dream Drop Distance Riku, fights with Way to the Dawn

Riku 4: Current Riku at this stage, new clothes, fights with Braveheart

Aqua 1: Aqua as a child, fights with wooden model keyblade

Aqua 2: Aqua's teenage years, fights with Rainfell

Aqua 3: Aqua in Birth by Sleep, fights with Stormfall

Aqua 4: Anti-Aqua, fights with Spark (Ignus's Keyblade)

-So we'll see all of these throughout the fight. Let's get started.

Song start with Riku 4 looking across water

_As a child _

Becomes Riku 1

_You would wait and watch from far away_

Riku 1 starts moving forward at a walk

_But you always knew that you'd be the one to work while they all play / You_

Starts gaining speed and grow to Riku 2

_You'd lay awake at night and scheme _

Holds up keyblade, full run

_Of all the things that you would change _

Jumping slash, change to Riku 3 in air

_But it was just a dream_

Bring weapon down with beat drop

_(Chorus) Here we are don't turn away now / we are the warriors that built this town_

Riku 3 fights Aqua 3, mostly keyblade-to-keyblade

-So I have the individual strikes here planned, but I can't describe them properly and keep the flow, so we're going to skip that.

_Here we are don't turn away now / we are the warriors that built this town / from dust_

Last two words Aqua 3 knocked back, lands on surface of the water and skids back a bit as Aqua 1

_Will come / when you will have to rise _

Aqua 1 stands up on "rise"

_Above the rest and prove yourself your spirit never dies / Farewell_

Starts running forward as Aqua 2.

_I've gone to take my throne above / don't weep for me cause this will be _

Draw back keyblade for thrust, change to Aqua 3.

_The labor of my love_

Clash with Riku 3 again for chorus

_(Chorus) Here we are don't turn away now / we are the warriors that built this town / here we are don't turn away now / we are the warriors that built this town / from dust_

-Okay, here's where it gets complicated and I have to start using timestamps. My idea for the end of this was having them fight at each stage against each other as part of one unbroken shot revolving around the two of them. Here we go. I also think it's important to note that the speed and intensity of the fighting increases with each time jump.

1:45 – 1:50 Flash transition, Aqua 1 fighting Riku 1

1:50 – 1:56 Flash transition, Aqua 2 fighting Riku 2

1:56 – 2:02 Flash transition, Aqua 3 fighting Riku 3

2:03 – 2:08 Heavy strike knocks both back, wide shot to see both recover for a second, both stand and charge forward again

2:09 Slow motion

-My vision for this part kind of had them blending between each of their versions in order as they ran

_Here we are_

Aqua 1 running at Riku 1

_Don't turn away_

Aqua 2 running at Riku 2

_Now_

Aqua 3 running at Riku 3

_(Don't turn away!)_

Multiple flashes on song beats through each stage as swing weapons towards each other, finally meet in the clash as Aqua 4 and Riku 4

-Hitting maximum intensity of fight with crescendo of song

_We are the warriors that built this town / here we are don't turn away now / we are the warriors that built this town / from dust_

Aqua 4 and Riku 4 in combat until end of song


	10. Chapter 9: Home

Aqua staggered backwards, shadows flowing off her, turning the water inky. Spark vanished from her hand and the darkness seemed to flow off her like dust in a breeze. She tipped backward, hit the dark water, and sank.

"So…this is the end." Aqua whispered to herself.

"Aqua!"

Aqua opened her eyes. A hand was reaching towards her. She reached out. The hand took hers.

"Ignus…"

Aqua opened her eyes. A light was shining down on her. Water was crashing against surf. She looked up.

"Aqua!"

Someone was kneeling next to her. She looked up at them.

"Ignus?"

"You're awake. You're awake." Ignus lowered his head and took her hand. "I'm so glad you're awake." He wiped at his eye.

Aqua looked around at the cliffs and trees around her. "Are these…the Destiny Islands? When did they fall to darkness?"

"They didn't, Aqua." Ignus smiled. "You're in the realm of light."

Aqua couldn't move. She stared up at the bright sun sparkling off the water. Ignus hugged her against him.

"You're home." He whispered.

Aqua began to laugh, wrapping her arms around him. She couldn't think of anything to say. She was alive. She was home.

"Sora! Riku!" Ignus called. He let go of Aqua as the boys ran over. "We did it." He nodded.

"We did it!" Sora cheered.

"Welcome home." Riku smiled.


	11. Chapter 10: Wake Up

"You sure about this, Aqua?" Goofy asked.

Sora nodded. "If you want, we can take you back to Master Yen Sid's tower to rest with Riku and Ignus."

"Well, he's _supposed_ to be there resting." Aqua smiled at the man next to her.

"Yeah, no." Ignus smirked. "Not letting you out of my sight. Besides, I wouldn't miss this."

"Ven's expecting us. We promised to wake him." Aqua explained. "Said I'd be right back, but I'm not even close. I'm in for an earful."

"And I'm surprised I haven't gotten one yet." Ignus added. "Said I'd wait for you to come back and I ended up leaving to go find you three days later."

"There's still time." Aqua teased.

The group came to a stop in front of a set of double doors. The castle in front of them seemed like it had been assembled by someone holding the instructions on a pinwheel. Aqua stopped and stabilized her breathing. Ignus gently took her hand. She squeezed it back, then released it as her keyblade appeared in her other hand. She raised the tool to the doors and a powerful light began to shine from them. Aqua stayed focused as the light burst. Suddenly, color was returned to the castle. Parapets and halls spun and rearranged, expanding and unfolding. The clouds blew away and the sun shone down. Sora and everyone else marveled at the sight as Aqua led the way into the castle. They stopped in front of the door to the main hall.

Aqua turned to Sora. "Ready?"

Sora nodded. They entered the room, finding themselves opposite three chairs. A young boy sat on the middle one, slumped down in a deep sleep. Aqua ran forward, Ignus on her heels.

"Ven…" Aqua reached out to the boy's face. She hugged him gently. "I'm sorry it took so long." She grasped Ventus's shoulders and shook him. "Ven. Wake up. Open your eyes, please!"

Ventus didn't stir.

"Why? Your heart never found its way home?"

Ignus suddenly stiffened, turning to the door. "Aqua!"

"That was a neat trick!" The new voice made Sora turn to the black-masked figure striding towards them. "No wonder no one could find him."

"Vanitas!" Sora cried.

"Why are you here?" Aqua demanded.

"Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt your touching reunion, but surely you won't begrudge me a moment with my brother?" Vanitas spoke the last word like it was distasteful.

Sora and his friends charged him, but Vanitas simply warped past them, appearing momentarily before vanishing again. He reappeared on top of Ventus's throne.

"So Venty-Wenty wants to keep sleeping. What am I ever going to do with you?"

"You're going to leave him alone!" Ignus said from the air behind Vanitas. He launched a fireball from Spark which Vanitas dodged and blasted Ignus with a thunderbolt. Aqua leapt up at Vanitas as well, her strike caught by Vanitas's keyblade.

"You better settle down there, 'Master!'" He pushed on the block and Aqua flipped backwards to land on her feet, Vanitas in front of her.

"Aqua, I'll handle him!" Sora said.

"No. _I'm_ ending this."

"But…you haven't recovered yet." Sora protested.

"Sorry, but you've seen me too weak, too often. Now it's my turn to shine." Aqua swung her hand and a magical barrier appeared around her and Vanitas, pushing Sora and the others out.

"Aqua!" Sora yelled as Vanitas took a combat stance.

"Aqua…" Ignus slammed a fist onto the barrier. "You give this guy hell!" He declared.

**(Fight Scene Song: Tex vs. Tank)**

Vanitas landed as he evaded Aqua's flying strike. He chuckled before launching a trio of fireballs at Ventus. They exploded against the barrier, leaving a spider web of cracks. He drew his keyblade back again for another volley, but this time Aqua intercepted them, falling to the floor and dropping her keyblade.

"Aqua!" Ignus shouted as Vanitas walked over to her. He drew Spark and set it ablaze, trying to shove the tunneling flames through the barrier. Vanitas raised his keyblade with both hands.

"Aqua!" Sora cried. He clutched his chest. A bright light began to shine behind Ignus as he felt the barrier giving way. He turned to see Ventus glowing brightly. Ignus ducked down, a faint smile curving the corners of his mouth as he spoke softly.

"Go for it, Ven."

The light burst from the throne and the barrier shattered.

"Aqua!" Ventus shouted as he flew forward. His keyblade met Vanitas's and the entire barrier burst with the shockwave. Ventus landed in front of Aqua, weapon at the ready. Ignus dashed over and knelt beside Aqua.

"Curaga!"

Sora and the others ran forward, but Vanitas launched himself into a backflip that carried him to the entrance.

"Four guardians is more than I care to face." He called cockily. "But now that my brother is awake, I'm just certain that he'll come to visit." A dark corridor engulfed him and he was gone.

Ventus turned and he and Ignus helped Aqua stand.

"Aqua, are you alright?" Sora asked.

"Yes. I'm fine, Sora."

"Huh? You're…Sora?" Ventus asked.

"Yup. Hey, Ventus." Sora extended his hand.

"I get it. You were my second chance."

"Huh?"

Ventus smiled, taking the hand. "Call me Ven."

Aqua laid her hand on Ventus's head. "Good morning Ven."

"Good morning, Aqua."

"You overslept again, Ven." Ignus elbowed Ventus in the shoulder.

Ventus turned on him. "Sorry about that."

Ignus smiled. "It's good to see you again. Let's head back." He took two steps and pitched forward. Ventus and Aqua scrambled to catch him.

"Woah! You okay?"

"Two weeks in the dark realm. Eleven clashes with monsters. One clash with Aqua, long story. Getting here, trying to break Aqua's barrier, the healing magic." He smirked. "I'm a little tired I guess."

Aqua looped Ignus's arm over her shoulders and helped him up. "Which is why you should have stayed back and rested like we told you to."

"Yeah, yeah…" Ignus grumbled. "Let's just get moving so I can go pass out on a softer floor."

Notes:

Tex vs. Tank: watch?v=Lwt7Cq5btvI

So yeah, shipping in this one, along with Aqua getting a good fight in. I like this song for the fight scene because I think it reflects the hard beats for Vanitas's combat style and the calmer, spell-based style of Aqua.

Also, I flipped my shit when I saw Ven wake up the first time I watched the cutscene movie. My notes (time stamps of the scenes I needed to write for and what I wanted to put in) literally includes the phrase "YA BOI VENTUS IS BACK BITCHES"

Do with that information what you will.


	12. Chapter 11: The Guardians Assemble

Yen Sid looked over the gathered guardians of light. He took a deep breath.

"At last, we are all assembled. First: Sora, Riku, Donald, Goofy, Ignus, I cannot thank you enough for what you have done. And you, Aqua and Ventus: we are fortunate to have you back."

"Thanks. I only wish we could have returned to help sooner." Aqua nodded. "We're grateful to all of you for rescuing us."

"Thank you." Ventus added.

"Still, I feel like I'm letting you guys down." Ignus sighed. "We haven't been able to find Terra. We don't even have a decent lead."

"Don't. He studied with Master Eraqus, just like us. He's our responsibility." Aqua replied.

Riku turned to her. "Ignus told me that you saved me in the realm of darkness. I should have gone to help you right away. But I was too inexperienced. I'm sorry. I know that I let you down."

"No, just the opposite."

"Did ya know Riku's a true Keyblade Master now?" Goofy said.

"That's wonderful."

"Ignus too." Donald said.

"Good for you."

"You don't have to look so surprised." Ignus smirked.

Donald walked over to Sora. "But Sora needs work."

"Yeah, rub it in…" Sora grumbled, smiling at everyone's laughter.

"I'm happy to see that you haven't changed one bit." Aqua smiled.

"Huh?"

"Sora, you probably don't remember…it's okay."

Lea coughed loudly.

"Ah yes." Yen Sid said. "Let us not forget our new keyblade wielders. Lea, Kairi, you have made tremendous strides."

"Hey there. And that's 'future Keyblade Master'-"

"Kairi!" Aqua exclaimed, making Lea devolve into a stuttering mess. She walked over and looked closer at Kairi. "Incredible! It _is_ you."

"You know her?" Ignus asked.

"Ignus, when you and I first met in Radiant Garden, the Unversed tried to attack a little girl. Do you remember?"

"Wait, that was her?" Ignus looked from Kairi to Aqua to Kairi. "Actually, I'm kinda surprised I didn't realize earlier. Guess it was longer than I'd care to admit."

"I guess it must've worked," Aqua said, "the spell that I cast on you."

"I'm sorry." Kairi shrugged. "Those days are hazy for me. But it sounds like I'd have been in trouble without you. So thank you."

"Please. You were really very little. Anyone would forget, hazy memory or not."

Lea again loudly cleared his throat. "This is all very touching, guys, but where do I fit in? Ven looks just like Roxas, or is it Roxas looks just like Ven?" He paused, looking at Ventus, who smiled. "And now I have to explain all of that to him – which is in itself a crazy long story – and, apparently everyone already knows everyone, and this is an insane amount to get memorized!"

"Sorry, Lea." Ventus grinned.

"You remember me?"

"Yeah, 'course! We're friends. I can't believe you became a keyblade wielder just like me."

"Yeah…"

"Axel, you know Ven?" Sora asked.

"Axel? Who's Axel?" Ven asked.

"See, see, see?" Lea said. "Major brain-ache." Lea recoiled as Jiminy hopped on top of Sora's head. "_Now_ who?"

"Not to worry, folks. To help us out, I've given each of you a Gummiphone. They've got summaries of everything that's happened so far. That way, you can read up, if you'd like. And if anyone has any questions, we can call each other."

"Well," Ignus said, "we've got our seven guardians."

"Yeah…" Sora sighed. "But I do wish that Roxas, and Naminé, and Terra could be here with us too."

"Since when do you mope, Sora? Come on." Riku said. "Terra's gotta be with the Organization. Which means we'll have a chance to save him."

"Leave it to Ven and I." Aqua said. "We'll bring him home."

"Yeah, I made Terra a promise." Ventus agreed. "I said I'd be there for him when he needs me."

"And I'll figure Roxas out." Lea added. "Don't know how, but…I'll get him back."

"Naminé is right here, safe with me." Kairi looked at Sora. "I know that we'll find a way to help her. Trust me – I'm not giving up."

"It is a shame that all of our friends could not be here." Yen Sid brought the group back to order. "But our seven guardians of light have united. Perhaps you might say that we have nine guardians, with Donald and Goofy. Given time, I know the others will soon stand with us. Today, you recuperate."

Aqua poked Ignus, who scowled, then smiled.

"On the morrow, you journey to the fated place."

Notes:

Yeah, I'm going to try to remember to put more of my thoughts in these uploads. May you find my ramblings...informative? Entertaining? Whatever.

This scene just made me really happy to watch. All my friends are together, they're meeting each other, it was great. Makes me happy.

Also, still waiting on feedback for the bonus! Please, guys, it's my first time writing this sort of thing, and I need to know if it worked.


	13. Chapter 12: Under the Stars

Ventus slid his wayfinder back into his pocket. "I'm going to go to bed. Night Aqua!"

"Night Ven. Make sure you don't oversleep tomorrow."

"Leave me alone, Aqua!" Ventus moaned, grinning. He headed up the steps into the tower. Aqua stayed where she was, looking up at the blue nebulae and comets racing across the sky above her. She sat for a while, enjoying the quiet of the night until it was broken by the sound of the door to the tower shutting softly. Footsteps approached down the stairs, and Ignus sat on the steps next to her.

"Hey."

"Hi." The two shared a glance, then went back to looking at the sky.

"Did Ven go to bed?"

"Yeah, he's out cold." Ignus said. "You probably should be too."

"You're one to talk." Aqua smiled. "You were ready to drop earlier today."

"I did drop. You just caught me." Ignus grinned.

"Then I guess I was returning the favor." Aqua slid closer and put her hand on top of Ignus's. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"For never giving up on me."

Ignus pulled his knees up and hugged them to himself. "I left you down there for so long. I left you in that hell for over a decade. There were so many times I wanted to just dive down there and go get you. But I didn't think I was strong enough to get you out. So I waited. I trained. I tried not to think about what you were going through. It never worked."

Aqua leaned over and her head settled on Ignus's shoulder. "But you never stopped. You always remembered me. In a way…I think I could feel it too. There was always a part of me that didn't submit, that kept pushing back against the darkness. When I took your keyblade, I felt it surge. I think you were the source of the light inside me. That little bit of light that made it possible to save me. So, I don't think I was ever really alone down there. I always had you with me. Even if I didn't realize it."

Ignus took Aqua's hand and gently raised it to his lips. "I'm glad you came back. I don't know what I would have done if you didn't."

They sat and enjoyed the silence and each other's company for a moment.

"So what happens tomorrow?" Aqua finally asked.

"We fight. We go back to the Keyblade Graveyard, we face Xehanort's thirteen seekers of darkness. And we fight."

"If we lose? Then what do we do about this…about us?"

"Then we spend our last moments protecting each other."

"And if we win?"

Ignus smiled. "Then we'll have time to figure it out."

Notes:

So a few quick announcements, since I'm really happy. First, I realized that Book 1 has now passed 500 hits, which is a ridiculous number that I never thought I'd reach, so thank all of you!

Next, shout out to MrMarioluigi1000 for favoriting every single book of this series. That was really fun to wake up to in my inbox this morning, thank you!

Last and absolutely not least, shout out to Aster Hikari, our current MVP. She has not only followed me as an author (which I feel so incredibly honored by) but has also left the first review on this story since Book 1. Thanks for your opinion on the Bonus, knowing it didn't work is better than knowing nothing. Also, you asked for more Aqua and Ignus scenes. Hint: this isn't the last one.


	14. Chapter 13: The Keyblade Graveyard

"Never thought we'd end up back here." Ignus muttered.

He looked up at the massive stone cliffs in front of them, plumes of dust blowing off in the gusts that bounced around the landscape like frightened birds. The sun glinted off the keys, spread across the area, set into the dirt. A lot of keyblade wielders had died here.

"We have a few more with us this time." Ventus reminded him.

"Eyes up. Incoming."

The party came to a stop as a figure walked out of the blowing dust storm across the canyon. Master Xehanort's confident grimace had returned and was on full display as he approached. Ignus reached behind him for Aqua's hand, found it, and released it again.

"Legend has it that darkness once covered the world." Master Xehanort began. "We know so little about the Keyblade War – only that it was just the beginning. If ruin brings about creation, what, then, would another Keyblade War bring? When the darkness falls, will we be found worthy of the precious light the legend speaks of?"

Ansem appeared beside him. "Or will all of creation be instead returned to the shadows? Today we will recreate the legend and see."

"But first…" Xemnas said as he appeared on Master Xehanort's left. "Your light shines far too brightly. It must be extinguished in order for truth to be seen."

Two more figures appeared in front of the trio.

"Only when your hopes have been broken by battle upon battle, can the key be claimed to Kingdom Hearts." Vanitas's face was unreadable through his mask.

"And break you is what we shall do." Young Xehanort threatened. "It has been etched."

"You think they rehearsed that?" Ignus muttered.

"Definitely." Ventus whispered back.

The five dark figures faded as a massive cloud of shadow covered the canyon. Heartless began to rain from the sky in droves.

"Look at how many there are!" Sora exclaimed.

"What's the plan, Sora?" Ignus asked.

Sora didn't answer. Nobody soldiers began to join the horde of scuttling and flying Heartless.

"Sora?" Riku called. "What do we do?"

Sora remained silent. Ignus put a hand on Sora's shoulder and turned the boy to face him. He was scared, it was clearly visible on his face. Sora looked into Ignus's eyes and saw the same darting fear. Ignus nodded to him, then turned and called to the others.

"If we split them up, we can deal with them quicker. Pair up and cover your partner's back! Sora, Donald, Goofy, stay here, you're our anchor. Ven, Aqua, hit the right. Lea, Kairi, left side. Riku, you and I are going straight through the middle. May your hearts be your guiding key!"

The air shimmered as half a dozen keyblades winked into existence. The group split up and ran off into the horde of monsters.

**(Fight Scene Song: Die By The Sword)**

Notes:

Die by the Sword: watch?v=Xq0z9SIiWwY

So yes, I had Ignus and Ventus throw shade at the villains for that finishing-each-other's-sentences team monologue. Partly because it's in character, and partly because I have this image in my head of them practicing it, Vanitas popping up too soon stepping on Xemnas's line, and Master Xehanort just sighing and telling them to run it again.  
It just makes me smile.


	15. Chapter 14: The End

The guardians of light regrouped as they pushed through the Heartless into the next valley. Sora was the last to arrive as Ignus turned around.

"Is everyone okay?" He received a spattering of affirmative responses. He nodded and looked to Sora.

"C'mon, let's go." Sora said. He'd lost the frightened darting expression. His breathing was steady and calm.

Suddenly Ventus started and turned ahead of them. "Terra!" He shouted, running towards the man.

"Ven!" Aqua called as Ventus grabbed his hand.

"Terra! We found you!"

Aqua ran over. "Terra, please say you're in there."

A silent moment passed before Aqua pulled Ventus back.

"What gives, Aqua?"

"I know that you're not him." Aqua declared. "Now let our friend go!"

Terra sniffed dismissively before the color drained from his hair, leaving it pure white.

"It's him." Ignus said. "He _is_ the thirteenth."

Ventus made a strangled noise.

"You never told him?" Aqua demanded over her shoulder.

"It never came up." Ignus replied.

"Today is the day you all lose." The voice that came out was not Terra's. Dark mist rose from Terra-Xehanort's body. "Before you even face the thirteen, every last one of you will be torn heart from body. But fear not…" Terra-Xehanort extended his hand and a dark keyblade appeared in it. "The χ-blade will still be forged."

"We're not gonna lose to you." Sora declared.

Terra-Xehanort grinned darkly, then vanished. He reappeared a second later and struck Ventus with a slash from his keyblade.

"Ven!" Aqua cried.

"That's it!" Sora charged, but his strike was caught in a ball of dark energy from Terra-Xehanort's hand. Sora pulled fruitlessly before Terra-Xehanort burst the orb, knocking Sora on his back. Terra turned and launched himself at Kairi, his keyblade meeting Lea's and sending him flying into a boulder.

"Axel!" Kairi turned back to find Terra-Xehanort's raised keyblade. She froze. Sora jumped to his feet and sprinted to her, placing his body between Terra-Xehanort and Kairi. Terra-Xehanort grunted and brought his weapon down. He didn't finish the swing, the crossed Spark and Inferno halting the strike.

"Lea!" Ignus roared. He swung both of his weapons out, knocking Terra-Xehanort slightly off the ground. Lea stood, still supporting himself on the boulder. He raised his keyblade as Ignus levelled his.

"FIRAFLARE!" The men shouted in unison.

A white-hot beam of flame shot from Lea's weapon and met the double columns bursting from Ignus's as they hit Terra-Xehanort's chest. The flash blinded everyone for a moment. When it faded, Ignus fell to his knees, propping himself up with his weapons. Lea collapsed.

"Ven…" Aqua ran over. He wasn't moving.

Riku and Kairi approached Ignus. "I'm fine." He grumbled. "Go get Lea." The two nodded and ran to prop Lea up against the boulder.

"This can't be real…" Sora breathed. He looked almost paralyzed.

"This is war, Sora." Ignus pushed himself up to stand shakily. "The realest thing you wish wasn't."

A dark whirlpool began to form in front of them, and a tide of Heartless poured out to spiral into the air.

Ignus cursed. "Riku!" He motioned the boy over.

Riku grabbed his paralyzed friend. "Pull it together, Sora! We haven't lost them. They still have their hearts. But we have to protect them."

Sora was silent for a moment before nodding sharply. "Right!"

Aqua walked up to join them and Ignus rose.

"We stand together." She declared.

More Heartless swarms flew out of the other entrances to the canyon. They all converged on the first, dust and wind whipping until there was a tornado of dirt and shadow spiraling in front of the keyblade wielders.

"Stay focused!" Ignus cried. "Wait for them to make a move."

"It can't be…no…" Aqua seemed to freeze, the only motion her clothing flapping in the wind.

"Aqua." Ignus said tightly.

Her keyblade slipped from her grip. A column of the creatures spun out of the spiral like a tentacle and shot towards her.

"Aqua!" Ignus dove to grab Aqua and extended Spark, flames shooting from the blade in a tight cone. The wave of Heartless slowed against the force, then engulfed them both.


	16. Chapter 15: Lingering Hope

"Ignus…"

Ignus's eyes shot open. He was holding onto Aqua. There was sunlight above them. The shadows were gone.

"Aqua. Are you alright?"

"I think so." Both of them stood. Lea was nearby yelling at Donald and Goofy. Riku noticed them first and ran over.

"You guys alright?"

"Honestly, I feel great." Ignus stretched. "Anyone missing?"

"Well, with you two back, there's just Ventus-"

"No there isn't!" A happy voice yelled from nearby. Aqua ran to the grinning Ventus.

"…Sora, and Kairi."

"Any leads on them?"

"I think Sora's the one that saved us. He'll be here."

"You sound very sure of that."

"This is Sora we're talking about. Nothing can keep him from his friends. Not for long."

"And Kairi?"

"Probably kept him from getting lost on the way back." Riku grinned. A bright light suddenly shone, and everyone gathered around it. The light faded and Sora and Kairi appeared, hands tightly clasped.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Kairi." Sora looked around at the assembled group. "It _did_ work!" He laughed.

"Ready to move on your signal, Sora." Ignus nodded.

"Right! Let's go!"

The group turned and ran into the next canyon. Ignus poked Aqua.

"Even you have to admit they're adorable."

"Be quiet." She grumbled, smiling.

Notes:

So yeah, I wasn't entirely sure how I wanted to deal with the whole "everyone dies but then not really" thing. Disney Boy actually messaged me and recommended that I write up how it could end with Xehanort's victory. While I don't really have time to rewrite the next 7 chapters, I do like that idea, so maybe I'll come back to it sometime.


	17. Chapter 16: A Second Chance

"Today is the day you all lose." Dark mist rose from Terra-Xehanort's body. "Before you even face the thirteen, every last one of you will be torn heart from body. But fear not…" Terra extended his hand and a dark keyblade appeared in it. "The χ-blade will still be forged."

"We're not gonna lose to you." Sora declared.

Terra-Xehanort grinned darkly, then vanished. A massive plume of dust exploded in front of Aqua and Ventus. Terra-Xehanort appeared from the dust, crossing keyblades with an armored form.

"Who are you?" Terra-Xehanort demanded.

"Got you, Xehanort." Terra's voice came from the armor as he pushed Terra-Xehanort back.

"Terra?" Aqua asked hopefully.

"This is impossible!" Terra-Xehanort shouted.

The armored form walked forward. "How I've waited for this moment." He swung his weapon, the keyblade changing form to become a long whip. He swung it forward and it wrapped and locked Terra-Xehanort's weapon. The armor swung the grip, launching Terra-Xehanort into the air. Terra-Xehanort released his weapon and arrowed towards the armor. The armor swung his keyblade and it changed again, becoming a massive spinning cannon. It fired a beam of bright energy into Terra -Xehanort. He stopped in the sky and summoned his keyblade. The armor reformed its and jumped to trade blows in the air with Terra-Xehanort.

"Terra!"

"No, Ven!" Aqua caught the boy's shoulder. "Them first." Aqua turned to the inbound swarm of Heartless into the canyon under the shadow of the flying Nobodies.

"Form up!" Ignus called.

Another spiraling wave of Heartless spun out of the ground and coiled in the air.

"We'll hold off the others!" Aqua called as she and Ven ran to the entrance to the canyon.

"Okay, we've got this!" Sora called. He turned to Ignus and Lea. Lea had two fingers extended toward Ignus's closed fist. Ignus grinned.

"Riku, we've got the right! Kairi, you and Lea are the left."

"I'll get you someday." Lea grumbled as he drew his keyblade.

**(Fight Scene Song: Eyes of the World)**

Most of the Heartless fell to the ground as Sora paused. All that was left was a small, compact sphere of darkness with a few of the creatures crawling on it.

"Come on…" Sora urged.

More Heartless began to spawn around the sphere, coiling around themselves, moving faster and faster. Their spiral began to pick up dust and suck in nearby Heartless. Larger ones were swept up by new waves of Heartless as the tornado formed larger.

"Sora," Ignus approached with the others, "please tell me you've got a plan."

"I'll stop it!" Sora declared, charging forward.

"That is not a plan, Sora!" Ignus protested.

Sora ran forward, waves of Heartless glancing off his keyblade. He jumped at the twister and a bright light engulfed his vision. He fell back to the ground, landing steadily.

"Ignus, look." Riku whispered.

Everyone looked up. Over their heads, bright keyblades were flying in a glittering column. They swung around the canyon and Sora jumped on, riding a key into the tornado. The keys streamed past Sora and carved through the tornado, quickly exposing the core of the Heartless swarm. Sora raised his keyblade and shot forward, pushing through the orb. It contracted to an almost invisible point, then burst in a brilliant flash of light and color. Sora landed back on the ground and looked up at the spiraling tiers of keyblades above him. They spun together and vanished in a flash.

Ignus blinked. "Okay, what the actual-"

"Sora!" Riku was the first of the group to reach him. "Are you alright?"

"What was that?" Lea asked.

"Keyblade wielders…from long ago." Aqua said.

"It's the light of the past." Ventus smiled.

Notes:

The Eyes of the World: watch?v=hxsanTM3JyI

So a few little private indulgences in this one. Firstly, yes, Ignus and Lea are playing games in life-or-death situations because of course they are. Also, Ignus's reaction to the flying keyblade storm ex machina was essentially mine. Unfortunately, this is a Disney game, so he's not allowed to curse.


	18. Chapter 17: One Last Obstacle

"Look!" Kairi pointed at a new figure walking out of the settling clouds of dust.

"Just send out the Big Bad." Lea complained.

The figure walked out of the dust. It was Riku. Shorter, strangely dressed, and carrying his old keyblade, but Riku. The Riku double stopped and chuckled darkly.

"You!" Riku shouted.

"He still feels like you." Ignus said. "Like you used to. Guess your replica idea was right. You can send a heart without a body. They must be using hearts from the past, ones Xehanort had control of. So this was you when you were under the control of Ansem."

"Yeah. How could I forget?"

The double laughed. "I'd say that was our finest hour."

"You were a cocky little prick back then." Ignus shrugged.

Riku stepped towards the replica. "Wrong. My hour of weakness."

"You sure?" It replied. "How about we find out?"

Dark mist rushed from him the replica and a giant shadowy humanoid appeared behind him, twin eyes glowing. It extended its arms and leaned over the group.

"A real test for the Mark of Mastery!" The replica declared.

"What did you say?" Riku called back.

"We gotta make sure you're not blundering your way toward a second failure." Xigbar said as he stepped out of a dark corridor beside the replica.

"Blundering? I'll have you know we failed with style, _chief._" Lea called back.

"Great comeback, Lea." Ignus sighed.

"At least you admit it." Xigbar grimaced. "Well, if you guardians think you brought the goods, you'll have to prove it to the old guy one last time." He turned back to his corridor and clapped the replica on the shoulder. "Kid, take it away."

The replica Riku chuckled, then growled, forcing more shadow from his body. The huge humanoid lost its form into a large cloud, and Heartless began to fall, forming groups of columns around the guardians of light. More Heartless began to drop from the dark clouds like rain.

"Form up, now!" Aqua called. The keyblade wielders pulled into a tight circle, facing the sea of Heartless on every side.

Ignus scanned in front of him. "I can buy you guys some time. When I give the signal, run like hell."

"What signal?" Ventus asked over his shoulder.

"You won't miss it." Ignus swung his keyblades around and prepared to bring them together. They didn't clash, as Riku caught Inferno in his hand.

"If you try to use time magic against them, you won't be there for the final battle. We still need your strength."

Ignus slowly lowered his keyblades. "Not even sure I have enough to hold them all."

"I'll try and break through! Get ready!" Aqua called.

"Alone? That's crazy! I'll help!" Ventus yelled.

"Two is no better." Kairi replied.

"Yeah, splitting up's a bad idea." Lea agreed.

"Alright then, anyone have any plans that don't involve leaving someone behind to die?" Ignus sliced two more Heartless. "I'm really open to suggestions!"

Sora looked up as the Heartless began climbing over themselves, forming a tidal wave of quivering darkness. Suddenly, a brilliant light shot down from the sky, blinding the group. Heartless flew into the air on all sides from the wave of magical energy. A white-haired man with a long blue hat and cloak appeared from the light.

"Master Yen Sid!"

Yen Sid raised his arms and a corridor of light blasted its way through the Heartless. "Go, my young champions. I will hold them all here for as long as I can."

"I said, plans that didn't leave anyone behind!" Ignus shouted.

Donald and Goofy leapt forward to flank Yen Sid.

"You guys go on!" Donald quacked.

"Me and Donald will stay here. The two of us'll back up Master Yen Sid!"

"Make sure you make it out of here. We'll see you back home." Ignus said.

Yen Sid raised his arms again and the corridor reappeared. "Make haste!" He called.

The seven guardians of light nodded, and ran forward through the horde of Heartless.

Notes:

And the endgame approaches!

As a side note, I just realized that Book 8 has just taken the title for the most views, pushing 600. I am honestly speechless right now. Thank you, all of you, for reading.


	19. Chapter 18: The New Keyblade War

Nothing moved in the keyblade graveyard. The only sounds were the wind and the dirt crunching under the feet of the keyblade wielders. No one spoke. No one had anything to say. Sora led them as they walked down one of the large pathways between the hundreds of keys stuck points-down in the earth. They stopped at a crossroads of the paths.

The thirteen had arrived.

A group of figures, all wearing the black hooded robes of the Organization, strode towards them in a backwards V. The only difference was the one in the back center. A lone man with his face and body revealed, bald head holding a self-confident smile. Master Xehanort.

"Today, we join these other wielders and leave our mark on fate." Xehanort began. "I have waited patiently…but together, we shall unlock the Keyblade War's secrets." His keyblade appeared and he raised it over his head. "Now we forge it. The ultimate key…the χ-blade."

Master Xehanort plunged his keyblade into the ground. Dust exploded upwards as walls of carved stones began to rise all around them. Keyblades of the past clattered down, flung from their ancient places. Sora turned to his friends.

"Here we go."

They all ran into the labyrinth.

Sora looked to his left, where Riku was holding back Ansem, Xigbar, and his own replica. Ignus spotted him and knocked Marluxia back. "I got this!" He called as he ducked under a volley of Luxord's cards and took an electrified dagger to the shoulder from Larxene. He pulled it out and tossed it away. "Go help Riku!"

Sora nodded and ran off as Ignus turned to the three Nobodies. Xemnas still floated above, backing into a dark corridor.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm coming for you too." Ignus pointed with Spark as Xemnas disappeared. "In the meantime…" He swung his weapons and flames began to spit from around his feet. The air around him shimmered from the heat. "Who wants to go down first?"

**(Fight Scene Song: Die Fledermaus)**

Notes:

Die Fledermaus: watch?v=KdjQtmay0os

So I originally had a different song for this fight that matched more of Ignus's style, but I heard this one from the Hellsing Ultimate soundtrack and thought it fit Larxene, Marluxia, and Luxord way too well to pass up.


	20. Chapter 19: The Bonds of Family

"Aqua! Ven!" Ignus ran up to the pair, facing down Terra -Xehanort and Vanitas.

"Ignus."

"Sorry I'm late." Ignus looked at the other two. He pointed Inferno at Vanitas. "You and I have some unfinished business, kid. Ven, you want in?"

"Yeah." Ven swung his keyblade.

"Great. Aqua, can you keep Terra off us? He's going to need a bit more special care."

"I'll handle it. But what do you mean special care?"

"Well, we want to get his body back from Xehanort's control with minimal damage. This kid…" he indicated Vanitas and his keyblades burst into flames. "I just need to kick his ass."

**(Fight Scene Song: The Phoenix)**

A column of shadow shot up into the sky out of Vanitas's body. His faceplate was cracked from where Ventus had landed a particularly solid blow. Now it crumbled off his face.

"He looks just like Sora…" Ignus muttered.

"I'm the piece of Ventus that was taken away. And he's the piece Ventus needed to be whole again. So…why shouldn't he and I look exactly the same? Sora defines me, the same way that Ventus does. We are brothers who, together, make a greater whole."

"Brothers, huh?" Ignus asked. "Then why not stand with your brothers instead of the side of darkness?"

"Because I _am_ darkness. And I do stand by your side. I'm the shadow that you cast. How much closer could I be?"

"But I didn't ask for this." Ventus spoke up. "To be sifted apart, nice and neat. We should be free to choose. Not just light, not just darkness. _We_ decide what we are."

"But Ventus, I did decide who I am. You see?"

"And what you are is darkness?"

"What I am is darkness." Vanitas confirmed. Tendrils of dark particles began to float off him.

"Okay." Ventus whispered.

Vanitas's body dissolved into dark mist, which thinned, floating off in every direction until it dissipated.

"Come on." Ignus said. "Let's go give your sister a hand."

**(Fight Scene Song: The Time Has Come)**

A column of shadow burst upwards from Terra -Xehanort and he collapsed on his face.

"Terra!" Aqua and Ventus both ran over and propped him upright.

"Aqua…Ven…" Terra's voice was his own again.

"Terra, please…" Aqua begged as Terra began grunting, hands clamping to his temples.

"Come back…Terra!" Ven cried.

"Terra." Ignus knelt in front of him. "Your brother and sister are here. Your friends are here. Come back to us."

Terra screamed and violet chains sprung from his body to wrap themselves around the three keyblade wielders. The chains tugged them around before suspending them in the air as they all struggled. Terra ignored the cries of his name.

"You'll never be able to break these chains." Terra -Xehanort's baritone had returned. "They're _our_ bonds." He gestured and the chains followed his hands, whipping Aqua and Ventus around in the air. "You have no power over me!" He laughed darkly as Aqua and Ventus stopped struggling. He lifted them into the air. "Farewell."

"Terra…" Ventus whispered. "I kept my promise."

Terra -Xehanort gestured and both of them shot towards the ground. Before Ignus even had time to scream, a dark shadow shot forward and grabbed both of them before they hit the ground. It shattered the chains in its fist and Ignus dropped to the ground.

"Isn't that Ansem's guardian Heartless?" Ignus wondered aloud. He started. He could feel a heart within it as the creature gingerly laid Aqua and Ventus to the ground.

"How?" Terra -Xehanort shouted. "You fell to the dark-"

His next words were muffled as the giant Heartless grabbed him in a massive hand and lifted him off the ground. It reached up and pulled at the crossed bandages on its mouth. It ripped them off and panted.

"One day…I…will…set…this…right…" It rasped. It shoved Terra -Xehanort in front of it, struggling in midair. "One day…I will set…this right…" Its voice grew stronger. The voice of Terra. "I will return to this land…and protect…my friends!" The heart-shaped cavity began to glow.

Ignus levelled Spark at Terra -Xehanort. "Do it Terra! Come back to your family!" He launched a beam at Terra -Xehanort, suspending him in the air.

The heart cavity glowed brighter, and a heart shot out of it, smashing into Terra -Xehanort. Both glowed brightly as waves of energy exploded across the area. Ignus moved in front of Aqua and Ventus to shield them. The light faded and Terra fell to the ground, his hair darkening to a ruddy brown.

"Aqua! Ven!" He shouted, running over.

"They'll be alright." Ignus said as he helped Aqua sit up. He smiled up at Terra. "It's good to have you back." He stood and stepped away as Terra picked up Ventus's unconscious body.

"Terra? Is it you?" Aqua asked.

"Yeah. You never stopped lighting my way back."

Aqua smiled as tears began to roll down her cheeks. In Terra's arms, Ventus stirred.

"You're here…" He smiled up at Terra.

"I heard you too, Ven. You found me, just like you promised."

Terra put his arms around the other two and pulled them close. "Thank you."

Ignus allowed them a moment. "I'm going to try and find the others. Terra, look after them."

"No, Ignus, I'm going too." Ventus stood shakily.

"Not like that. We can't afford anyone not bringing their best at this point in the game. Rest. You just got your family back, Ven. Enjoy it for a while."

"Ignus, go." Aqua said. "We'll catch up with you. Stay safe."

Ignus nodded. "See you later then."

Notes:

The Phoenix: watch?v=5JqY-6q-RNA  
The Time Has Come: watch?v=cLBAFJWbd30

So I had to get a bit creative with the dialogue here, but I thought it would be a lot more impactful to have Ignus present for this instead of Sora. He's fought Vanitas before, he knows more about Terra (actually I had a deleted scene where they met briefly), it just felt better. Also this reveal made me flip out when I saw it.


	21. Chapter 20: One Final Clash

"Riku! Ignus!" Sora came running out of the maze.

"Sora! Good to see you!"

"About time." Riku snorted.

"Sorry."

A sudden shockwave blew against them. The trio found themselves facing another group of dark figures. Ansem, Xemnas, and Young Xehanort strode towards them. Master Xehanort smirked from atop a pillar of rock behind his vessels.

"Xemnas!" Sora shouted. "Where's Kairi?"

"Wait! Is she in trouble?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, Xemnas took her."

All of them looked up at Master Xehanort's mocking laugh. "Settle down, boy."

"It's Sora!"

"The thirteen darknesses and seven lights have clashed nine times, yielding these nine keys." He swung his hand and nine identical copies of his keyblade spiraled around him. "We are four short, but those four keys will be produced here and now."

"Yeah, sure. And what makes you think there's ever be any way we'd help you with that?"

"I can think of one…" Ignus mumbled. "He still has-"

"You forget I plan for every eventuality." Master Xehanort grinned.

"Kairi!" Sora faltered.

Riku stepped forward. "If you do summon Kingdom Hearts, we will defeat you, and we will close it again."

"Perhaps." Master Xehanort nodded. "That is…if you survive that long!"

Young Xehanort's keyblade appeared in his hand as Ansem and Xemnas both floated off the ground.

"Here we go, boys." Ignus stepped up next to Sora and Riku and charged.

**(Fight Scene Song: It Has To Be This Way)**

Young Xehanort was the last of the three to fall. He landed on his knees, a barking laugh coming from him.

"What's so funny?" Sora demanded.

"I told you. There's a high price to pay for all of this."

"And what price would that be?"

"I'll go back to my time and live out my life." Young Xehanort rose. "But Sora, you're done now. Your journey ends here."

"What?"

"Goodbye, Sora." He began to fade. "Your time in this world is-" Young Xehanort was interrupted as he dissolved completely.

"Didn't even finish his last words." Ignus shook his head. "Guess he learned to plan ahead when he got older."

Notes:

It Has to Be This Way: watch?v=ZYAPgPH9hsI

Once again, I give Ignus the right to sass people. Not finishing your final evil taunt? Rookie mistake. Also this fight scene is one of the most complicated I've ever choreographed, 3v3 with tons of magic and stuff. I'm not going to attempt a bonus on this one. Wouldn't work.

As some of you may know, we're coming to the finish line here. Tuesday will be the last three chapters of the story. I'm kinda sad that it's here, but I'm also really happy to see it all up and readable. I am not done with these characters, but I'll explain more about that in my afterword. In the meantime, see you all Tuesday!


	22. Chapter 21: The Victory of Xehanort

"Twelve keys we have now." Master Xehanort looked down at the panting trio while the weapons whirled around him. "Leaving just one more." His keyblade appeared in his hand. He raised it and fired a burst of energy into the clouded sky. A bright golden light began to shine down.

"Now, Sora. Darkness and light's final clash." The old man gestured, and Kairi appeared floating beside him, her head bowed as though asleep.

"Kairi!" Sora yelled as she floated forward.

"You require motivation."

Sora leapt forward and ran up the pillar. Master Xehanort swung his keyblade. Light poured from Kairi's body. She appeared to turn to glass for a moment before her form shattered into shards of bright crystal.

"KAIRI!" Sora leapt up and brought his keyblade down against Master Xehanort's guard. "Why her?" He demanded. Master Xehanort swung his keyblade and Sora was flung back down to the ground below. "Why?" He cried.

"I have done it." Master Xehanort congratulated himself.

"Xehanort!" Riku shouted, charging up the rock. A new key appeared floating and knocked him aside. Ignus was right behind him.

"Fir-!"

"Temporaiga!"

Ignus froze in midair, flames just beginning to rush down the blade of Spark. Riku was suspended in his fall, fifty feet above Sora's head.

"Ignus! Riku!" Sora called to his unmoving friends. One of Xehanort's keys appeared behind him and sliced across his chest.

Xehanort turned away. "Now…the Keyblade War will finally reach its conclusion!" He floated into the air, keys spiraling around him, rising towards the light of Kingdom Hearts as it broke through the clearing clouds. The keyblade in his hand shimmered, becoming the χ-blade.

"The χ-blade is complete. Kingdom Hearts! I call upon your true form. Open now and show me the World to come." A beam of dark power shot from Xehanort. Where it struck it began to spread, turning the golden light of Kingdom Hearts a dark violet. Bolts of chaotic energy began to fall, exploding against the stones of the labyrinth. Ignus unfroze, his fire spell exploding against the place where Xehanort had stood. He jumped down and pulled Sora to his feet.

"Sora. Hey, Sora. We're not done here. We still need to stop Xehanort."

"Yeah, but…he controls Kingdom Hearts now. And Kairi…"

"You, worried?" Roxas walked over, flanked by Xion and Lea.

"Guys…" Sora whispered as Ventus, Terra, and Aqua approached as well.

"Sorry we took so long." Lea grinned. "Had a couple of plot points that needed ironing out."

"Master Xehanort…" Terra's eyes were on the sky and the man floating above them.

"He did it. He opened Kingdom Hearts." Aqua whispered.

"So, what now?" Ventus asked.

Riku suddenly landed and ran over.

"Riku? Are you okay?" Sora called.

"He'll be fine." Ignus stretched. "We've still got one chance. But it's not going to be easy."

"It's Xehanort." Riku said. "During the Mark of Mastery exam, we learned that he can transcend space and time. He's a portal. And we can use that to trap him."

"Which is about as hard and complicated as it sounds. First step, we need to push Xehanort out of this world so we can deal with Kingdom Hearts. Aqua, Riku, you're with me."

"Understood." Aqua walked over.

"Wait, I'll do it." Sora said. "Kingdom Hearts is a much bigger threat. Let me handle Xehanort, while you guys keep it shut."

Ignus stared at Sora for a long moment. "Okay, Sora. This whole thing started with you. Seems only right that you go to end it."

"I got this." Sora walked forward.

"Let's move." Terra looked around. "The darkness is spreading."

"Sora." Xion walked forward. "Kairi will be all right. I can feel it."

Sora nodded and smiled. "Thank you." He raised his keyblade, everyone else raising theirs alongside. They all pointed to Kingdom Hearts. Their beams of light all struck Xehanort together, and a portal appeared on the man's chest. Sora glowed, becoming a ball of light, and shot into it.

Ignus sighed. "Okay. We can't let Sora down. We need to do our part. Aqua, Terra, Ven, you guys are best at working with hearts. See what you can do to purify Kingdom Hearts, slow the flow of Xehanort's corruption. Lea, Roxas, Xion, you guys are with me. We're going to set up a perimeter for the maze and try to keep the darkness from spreading any wider. Roxas, north side. Lea, east, Xion, south. I have west."

They all nodded, but Ignus caught Xion as she ran off. He spoke quietly.

"What you said to Sora before. About Kairi. You lied to him."

Xion lowered her gaze. "It was what he needed to hear." She pulled her arm out of his grasp and ran off.

Notes:

Shout out to LegacyReturns for the author follow! Thank you so much, it makes me so happy knowing you're looking forward to future work!

I think my most notable addition here is the very end. It bugged me, since Xion was never the one who had the strong connection to Kairi, that was Namine. Xion's based on Roxas, who is based on Sora. She shouldn't be able to "sense" Kairi, especially if Sora himself can't. That said, I thought she would understand how to settle Sora before his solo fight with Xehanort. Also I removed Donald and Goofy for the same reason I removed Mickey. They just stop fitting into the story at some point.


	23. Chapter 22: More to Light

Beams of light shot from the keyhole above Sora's head. They formed into bodies as they hit the ground around him. Riku, Ignus, Roxas, Ventus, Lea, Terra, Aqua, Xion. The full guardians of light had assembled.

"You made it!" Sora exclaimed.

Ignus stepped forward. "You okay? Not too banged up?"

Sora nodded.

"Kingdom Hearts is closing on the other side." Riku explained. "But we managed to follow our hearts to you."

"Master Xehanort…" Terra turned and walked toward the old man holding the χ-blade. Aqua moved toward him, but was stopped by Ignus.

"Let him go, Aqua. He knows what he's doing."

Terra and Master Xehanort stared at each other in silence for a long minute. Terra spoke first.

"There's more to light than meets the eye. As I told you."

Xehanort's eyes widened. "You sly fox…"

Terra began to glow, and a shining image of Master Eraqus stepped out of him. He extended his hand, and he and Terra spoke in unison.

"Now hand over the χ-blade, Xehanort."

"It is too late." Xehanort protested.

"For us perhaps, but not for them." Eraqus turned to the assembled group.

Xehanort levelled the keyblade at Eraqus. "No…I can do this."

Eraqus gave Xehanort a look bordering on pity. He walked forward, putting a hand on the grip of the weapon and another on Xehanort's shoulder. "Enough." He smiled. "Checkmate."

Xehanort closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, a gentle smile spread across his face. He walked forward and held the χ-blade out to Sora. "Very well done." Sora hesitantly took it.

Eraqus turned to look at his students. "Terra, Aqua, Ven. Forgive your foolish teacher."

Ventus and Aqua both ran to him and hugged him. Eraqus put an arm around each of them as Terra slowly approached, then joined the hug.

"Ven, I put you through such a harrowing experience. And Aqua, I left you with such a heavy burden. Terra, I failed you in the greatest way I possibly could. I refused to see your true strength." He looked up at where Ignus was standing. "Ignus. I knew your master. He spoke highly of you. Watch over my students. Please."

Ignus lowered his head gently. "Of course, Master."

Xehanort tried to move and began to stumble, Eraqus catching him before he could fall. He put Xehanort's arm around his shoulders. "Ready, my friend?"

"Yes…"

Both men glowed brightly and floated into the air as orbs of light.

"Sora." Ignus said. "It's time to close it."

Sora hefted the χ-blade. "Everybody, help me out."

Everyone approached, forming a loose semicircle around Sora. They all began to glow as he raised the χ-blade. The weapon fired a beam of light into Kingdom Hearts, and the rust red color returned to clear gold. The light blinded them, and they disappeared.

When the light cleared, the group was in the Keyblade Graveyard. They looked up at the light clouds above them as the wind whistled softly.

"It's over." Ignus breathed. "It's finally over."

"…No." Sora shook his head, his eyes low.

"We'll find Kairi." Riku assured him. "Let's head back to Master Yen Sid. We can figure it out."

"No, I know what to do." Sora turned around to face the group. "My whole journey began the day I lost her. And every time I find her…she slips away again. I thought we'd finally be together. But she's out there, alone. Not for one more second."

"Sora, listen." Ignus said. "The power of waking can't be used to go chasing hearts around like this. Even if you do manage to find Kairi, you might never get back home to us."

"I will. And we'll both be back before you know it."

"Let him go, Ignus." Riku spoke up. "His heart and his mind are made up. Now believe in him."

Ignus sighed deeply. "Sense never was able to dampen your optimism, Sora." He smiled. "Good luck, and safe travels. May your heart be your guiding key."

"Thank you." Sora extended his hand and summoned his keyblade. He shot a beam to the sky and it shattered, revealing a keyhole. The keyhole glowed and Sora vanished into it.

Notes:

So it really bothered me that Eraqus never apologized to Terra. He apologizes to Aqua and Ven, and gives Terra the responsibility, but he never apologized to him. Consider that fixed.


	24. Chapter 23: Blessed Memory

The sun was setting as the four people gathered on the hill, the slanted light casting long shadows and painting the handle of Eraqus's keyblade golden. Ventus laid the wreath across the guard, and they all stood in silence for a moment.

"Master Eraqus was a good man." Ignus said. "He was not perfect, and he never claimed to be. But he was a good man, a good teacher, and a good father to those he taught. He did everything he could to pass on his knowledge and convictions to his students. He wanted them to find strength, but more importantly, he wanted them to find themselves. His time may be over, but his students remain, reunited at the place where they began their journey. His name will be honored by their deeds, and his memory by their lives. May his heart find peace in death."

Aqua, Terra, and Ventus stepped forward and extended their wayfinders together towards the grave. Terra was the first to lower his, adding it to the wreath. The other two followed suit. They all turned away towards the castle.

"So what happens now?" Ventus asked.

"Well, I think we all need to catch each other up a bit. There's a lot that's changed these past years." Aqua said.

"That'll probably take longer than we'd like. We should do it over dinner." Terra grinned.

Ventus lagged back a bit, then a laugh came from behind them. They turned to find Ventus holding up what looked like a teddy bear.

"Guys, it's Chirithy!" Ventus exclaimed.

Aqua laughed and jogged back to him. Terra stood beside Ignus.

"You love her?"

"Yes." Ignus replied, watching Ventus and Aqua tickle the small creature.

"Then stay with her. She loves you too."

"Aqua will welcome anyone into her heart. It's big enough for whole worlds."

"Aqua's practically my sister, Ignus. She's never loved anyone like this. Cherish it."

Ignus nodded slowly. "I will."

Terra smiled, clapping him on the shoulder. "Hey, Aqua! Ven! Let's get going! Bring Chirithy with us and let's get inside before it gets dark."

Notes:

I liked that we got to see Eraqus's funeral, and thought it might be nice to expand it a bit. I still don't exactly know why Ventus's Chirithy showed up.


	25. Epilogue: Peace

Ignus's hand shot up and grabbed the Frisbee inches from his face. "Lea! If this thing comes over here again I'm stuffing it down your pants!"

"It wasn't me!" Lea complained. "Learn to throw, Ven!"

"I'm trying, okay?"

Ignus sighed and tossed the disk back, settling back against the rock and lacing his fingers back through Aqua's. The sun was setting over the water, and the Destiny Islands sparkled in the red glow. Terra was swiping at Riku and Roxas in some game of tag. Hayner, Pence, and Olette were engaged in some sort of sand sculpture contest. Xion and Naminé were combing the water's edge for shells. Isa, Ventus, and Lea were flinging around one of Lea's Frisbees.

"Where did he even find that old thing?" Ignus wondered aloud. Aqua giggled and snuggled closer against him. Ignus's thumb ran absently across her finger. "So this is what peace feels like." He mused. "No fighting, no hiding, no fear. No regrets weighing us down. Just the sun, and the beach, and the people we love." He turned to kiss the top of Aqua's head.

"Not for everybody." Aqua reminded him quietly. Both of them looked over to the paopu tree, where Kairi sat, staring at the ocean. No one had approached her since she'd sat down. "Come on." Ignus and Aqua got to their feet and climbed up the cliff. They approached quietly.

"Kairi?" Aqua spoke cautiously.

Kairi took a second before turning around. The light sheen of half-dried tears were tracked down her face.

"Can I sit?"

Kairi nodded.

Aqua sat down on the trunk beside her. Ignus laid a hand gently on Aqua's shoulder before silently backing up to give them space.

"It's going to be dark soon. You're staying in the treehouse tonight, right?"

Kairi again responded with a nod.

"Good. We're going to be heading home, but you can always call us if you need anything. Riku and Naminé will be here tonight too, in case you get lonely."

A long pause passed.

"You're worried about him, aren't you? Whether he'll come back?"

"He'll come back." Kairi said softly. "He'll find his way back home. After all, that's who he is."

_Ignus's story will continue..._

Notes:

I used shipping here to cover up my latent rage. What the hell happened to Sora? Did he actually fade or was that symbolizing that he wasn't there? Did he sacrifice himself for Kairi? WHAT HAPPENED?


	26. Afterword

Well, here we are. End of the line.

This is unquestionably the longest continuous story I've ever written, and likely the most complex. I started this back in October of 2018 with the goal of removing Mickey from Birth By Sleep. Now it's this colossal project that's spanned the entire series and even includes Mickey Mouse in some places. But it's more than that. It's giving dimension to the universe, adding humor, philosophy, friendships, and even a romance which, fun fact, was accidental when I first made it. It has Ignus, this complex, principled character that I've grown so proud of, and the new take he brings to the Kingdom Hearts story. I am more grateful than I can say to the readers that have stuck with this series, commented on it, liked it, followed it, or done whatever they could to make sure I knew they were enjoying my creation. A few specific people deserve special thanks.

Thank you to the YouTube channel Gamer's Little Playground for the cutscene movies that became this story. I'll include a link to the channel below. They edit the narratives of video games into very complete stories, and have given me some of my favorite narratives I've ever experienced. As I've said, I never played any of the Kingdom Hearts games, so my love and writing on this series is entirely thanks to them.

Thank you to Archive of Our Own writer and best big sister ever the_oxfordcomma. She was the first person who convinced me to post a story online, and she was also the one who proposed that I move to when I was close to giving up on the story. Read everything she writes, she's better than I am.

Thank you to my younger sister (who has no accounts so I can't link her) for constantly reading all the various drafts I sent her and allowing me to freak out over the phone to her whenever my characters did something. She remains my first beta reader on my work, and a great source of initial feedback.

Of course, thank you to Square Enix and Disney for making such a fantastic series of games that I was able to dive into this thoroughly. I didn't realize how much I'd become connected to the Kingdom Hearts series until I got to DDD and was losing my shit at seeing Ventus again.

On a final note, I am not finished with these characters. I have already begun working on a bit of a sequel/spin-off, A Flickering Light: Casting Shadows (name is still in beta) which will take place directly after the end of the main series of A Flickering Light. I may have to relegate it to a sort of alternate timeline once we get Kingdom Hearts 4 (or 3.2 or 3R or whatever comes after the number 3 in this series), but I'm happy with it so far. Look forward to that probably around next fall. I'll be uploading Quick Blind Fox at some point, a RWBY fanfiction that was the first story I posted online. I also have a few other stories I'm working on in Legend of Zelda and NieR: Automata, and we'll have to see if those end up online.

On a final note, this upload is my farewell to Archive of Our Own. You were my start in posting my fan work online, but I've come to see that the community is more geared towards my style of writing. I thank you for giving me the confidence to try a project this big, but this will be my last upload to that site. To the community, I am blown away by how welcomed I've been. I never dreamed that I'd get this sort of response. I hope that I can continue to create stories that you love.

Thank you everyone, for giving a writer the validation he could never feel staring at his own work. Hope to see you all again.

May your heart be your guiding key.

-WolfWing

Gamer's Little Playground: user/gLPLayground

the_oxfordcomma: /users/the_oxfordcomma/pseuds/the_oxfordcomma


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